MANILA, Philippines – While thousands awaited the release of the 2025 Bar results with anxious hearts, Rev. Fr. Gil Rochar Dulay was offering the Holy Mass, surrendering the outcome to faith rather than anticipation.
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| Photo courtesy: Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-National Capital Region |
Dulay, the Chaplain Services head of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-National Capital Region, was conducting a mass when the results were released, unaware that his name had just entered legal history.
A chaplain priest is a Catholic priest who provides spiritual care and pastoral support within secular institutions such as hospitals, the military, universities, or government agencies, rather than a traditional parish church.
In an interview with ABS-CBN News, Dulay said he learned of his bar success while immersed in priestly duty rather than personal celebration.
“It’s my second time to take the bar, kasi before mga 0.8 something ang kulang ko nung 2022,” he recalled, reflecting on the setback that almost kept his dream from materializing.
He graduated from law school in 2021 during the pandemic, a period that demanded endurance, focus, and deep faith.
“Sabi ko after that I need to move on, nag-enroll uli sa mga review centers at nag-take ako ng leave for three months,” he shared, describing the deliberate steps that led to his success.
Dulay admitted that his first attempt suffered from divided attention and misplaced confidence.
“Kasi noong una, medyo may halong kayabangan, akala ko kaya ko dahil pumasa naman ako sa Licensure Exam for Teachers (LET), Civil Service, Theology at Philosophy,” he said.
“Pero iba pala sa Law, kailangan mo talagang maglaan ng oras,” he added, highlighting the discipline required to triumph in one of the nation’s toughest exams.
Law, he explained, was once only a distant aspiration shaped by family circumstances.
“It’s just one of my dreams before, kasi sa family wala pa kaming lawyer,” Dulay told ABS-CBN News.
“Ang dream ko talaga mag-doctor kaya nagtake ako ng exam sa UP (University of the Philippines). Pero dahil mahirap lang kami, nanay ko was a public school teacher, father was a farmer, medyo hindi talaga kaya,” he said.
Financial hardship redirected him from medicine to Industrial Technology in Bicol, then to teaching and missionary priesthood.
“Kumuha ako ng some units in Education, nagturo ako for three years, at naging missionary priest din,” he said.
Since 2015, Dulay has served as a BFP chaplain, balancing spiritual care with public duty in high-stakes environments.
“Yung first day ko sa law school, parang nilalagnat ako,” he recalled, describing fear that lingered through five demanding years.
When the results finally came, his response was quiet but profound.
“Napakasarap sa pakiramdam,” he said, letting the words carry years of perseverance.
Fr. Dulay is among at least ten Catholic priests and a religious brother who passed the 2025 Bar Exams, according to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
Those identified include Fr. Mcwellroe Bringas of Tagum, Fr. Marcelo Operiano Jr. of Tagbilaran, Fr. Danilo Dela Bajan of Masbate, Fr. Eric Marigondon of Legazpi, Fr. Gerald Lacson of Antique, Fr. Joel Pepito Oriesga of Cebu, two chaplains from the Military Ordinariate including Fr. Rommel Kiamko, and religious priests Fr. Generous Gonesto, Fr. Florante Moren, and Br. Dominador Valdez Jr. of the Franciscan Friars of the Philippines.
Reflecting on the journey, Dulay offered the lesson that guided him: God answers prayers with “yes, no, or wait,” and waiting means “in God’s time.”
— The Summit Express